God knows how to do Divine stuff: the one who doesn't know is the Pope. In a display of celestial irony, women, traditionally marginalized and turned into nobodies by the Roman Catholic Church, are shaking the foundations of that archaic, machista, and reactionary institution.
From Saint Paul, who ordered the wife's submission to her husband, to the Councils and Synods that prohibit ordaining women to the priesthood, the Roman Catholic hierarchy has been a powerful club of old bachelors.

Nevertheless, women created the greatest lay schism of recent years when they decided that their bodies were their own and did not belong to the parish priest, and, without rejecting their fundamental religious beliefs, they disobeyed, en masse, the norms of the bedroom ordained by Rome. The pill, divorce, free sexual relations, and recently, abortion, have been flags of independence for Roman Catholic women.

A small volcano is now starting to boil inside the clerical body. It is a volcano that could bring profound internal transformations and retake the values of primitive Christianity. And do you know who is fomenting that significant revolution? The nuns. God certainly knows how to accomplish Divine works.

The incident that widened the gap between the nuns and the hierarchy is a recent communication where the Vatican criticizes a certain North American association, the Leadership Conference of Women Religious, for moving away from the teachings of the bishops, "who are the authentic teachers of faith and morals." In the same document, the Vatican appoints an archbishop to bring the unruly nuns under control.

The arm of the Vatican for the doctrine and the faith affirms that this association of nuns --1,500 out of a total of 1,800 -- disagrees with the papal condemnation of homosexuality and the priesthood of women. Deep down, Rome is upset because the nuns support Barack Obama's program of public health that, among other benefits, offers assistance in some cases of abortion.

For that also there was a tiron de orejas [slap on the wrist] to another group of North American nuns who were chided because "they are too occupied with issues of poverty and social injustice while they are silent about abortion and same sex marriage."

More than an accusation, this is an acknowledgement. Jesus of Nazareth never condemned gays or abortion; He did, however, castigate the rich (remember what He said about the camel and eye of the needle?), and He defended the poor and destitute.

That is what thousands of nuns are doing all over the world. They do not preach it from a pulpit, but live it with their example, in miserable hospitals, in shanty towns, schools, jungle dispensaries, and in places of conflict.

It seems like a strange lie that those who tried to cover up the shameful scandal of pedophile priests are now demanding that the nuns abandon their works of mercy and dedicate themselves to promoting sexual causes that are both stale and alien to the feelings of Christians. That is why tens of thousands of lay people signed a letter in support of the nuns.

All this is depressing. But it also offers a little hope for change. Restless nuns are not rare. They are seen from Saint Theresa of Avila up to our strong Leonor Esguerra, nun, teacher, and guerrilla. It just may be that the nuns, together with indignant priests, will retake the true meaning of the Church.

God knows how to do Divine stuff.

[Daniel Samper Pizano is an acclaimed Colombian-born journalist, novelist, and screenwriter who now lives in Madrid.]

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BOOKS / Alan Wieder : Paul Buhle's 'Radical Jesus: A Graphic History of Faith' by Alan Wieder / The Rag Blog. Noted historian Paul Buhle, who has published an acclaimed series of nonfiction comics, is one of the most prolific and insightful critics from the American left. "Radical Jesus," which communicates the social message of Jesus Christ in comic format, investigates the inequalities that exist in the world through a theological lens.

Rabbi Arthur Waskow : Israel, Hillel, and Idolatry by Rabbi Arthur Waskow / The Rag Blog. Hillel International, the "home" for many Jewish college students of diverse backgrounds and beliefs, has been beset with controversy about when uncritical support among American Jews for Israel becomes "idolatry of the State."

Paul Krassner : Is There a Doctor in the House? by Paul Krassner / The Rag Blog. The Coachella Valley in Southern California hosted a massive four-day health clinic that helped more than 2,500 uninsured patients. Krassner points out that California leads the nation in people without health insurance and says that "the insurance industry has a preexisting condition known in technical terminology as greed."

Kate Braun : Winter Solstice Falls on Saturn's Day by Kate Braun / The Rag Blog. Our celebrations during the Winter Solstice take from many traditions, including the Roman Saturnalia, Druid customs, the German "Yule," and the birth of Jesus; and it was Queen Victoria who popularized the lighted Christmas tree.

Allen Young : Ralph Dungan, the 'Good Liberal' by Allen Young / The Rag Blog. A recent obituary of Ralph Dungan, one of President John F. Kennedy's top aides who later served as ambassador to Chile, reminds Allen of a revealing experience he had with the man referred to by a historian as a "good liberal."

Ed Felien : A Good [Angry White] Man With a Gun by Ed Felien / The Rag Blog. Paul Anthony Ciancia considered himself a "good man with a gun" -- a warrior against the traitors who were taking over our government, bankrupting our currency, and trying to establish a New World Order -- when he walked into the Los Angeles airport and opened fire with an assault rifle.

Lamar W. Hankins : Right-Wing Rants and the Abominable Straw Man by Lamar W. Hankins / The Rag Blog. The Internet is a marvelous tool when used honestly and correctly, and with recognition of its limitations. But it is also home to angry rants, often from the far right, that make ridiculous claims -- like the one (that actually originated on a satirical site) saying that the Obama administration was setting up gasoline stations to provide free gas to low-income [read: black] people.

Harry Targ : My Nelson Mandela by Harry Targ / The Rag Blog. An irony of 21st century historical discourse is how real historic figures -- like the late Nelson Mandela -- get lionized, sanitized, and redefined as defenders of the ongoing order rather than activists who committed their lives to revolutionary change.

Michael James : Back to Uptown, 1965-1966 by Michael James / The Rag Blog. Mike continues his remarkable memoir, accompanied -- and inspired by -- photos from his upcoming book. His adventures -- and the making of an activist -- continue as he heads back to Uptown Chicago, "progressing along my path with another left turn and a big step into America."

Alice Embree : Chile and the Politics of Memory by Alice Embree / The Rag Blog. Chileans went to the polls Sunday and appear to be reelecting Socialist president Michelle Bachelet on the 40th anniversary of the bloody U.S.-supported coup against Socialist president Salvador Allende. Alice writes about the dramatic contradictions in Chilean politics and history.

Paul Krassner : A Tale of Two Alternative Media Conferences by Paul Krassner / The Rag Blog. Paul remembers the original Alternative Media Conference in June 1970 at Goddard College in Vermont -- and it was a wild and wooly affair headlined by the likes of Ram Dass, Harvey Kurtzman, and Art Spiegelman -- as the college hosts another conference keynoted by progressive radio host Thom Hartmann.

Harry Targ : STEM and the Tyranny of the Meme by Harry Targ / The Rag Blog. From the fear of "falling behind the Soviets" to the missile gap and, more recently the wars on drugs and terrorism, the fear of falling behind some fictional adversaries is an ongoing "meme" used by economic, political, and military elites. The latest? Now it's the "STEM crisis" and the fear that we're falling behind other nations in science and technology .

Alice Embree : Anne Lewis' New Website Brings Austin Movement History to Life by Alice Embree / The Rag Blog. Noted documentary filmmaker Anne Lewis has created a website called Austin Beloved Community that uses audio, film, photos, maps, and personal recollections to create a "digital collage" about the struggle for social and economic justice in Austin from the 1880s to the present. Alice interviews Lewis about the unique project.

BOOKS / Ron Jacobs : Marc Myers Tells Us 'Why Jazz Happened' by Ron Jacobs / The Rag Blog. Ron reviews a new book on America's own music in which Marc Myers "provides the reader with a deep, rich, and broad perspective on the confluence of jazz and U.S. history in the decades following World War Two."

David McReynolds : We Are All Wounded Veterans by David McReynolds / The Rag Blog. Long-time pacifist writer and activist McReynolds says there's something "infinitely sad" about the recent celebration of Veterans Day. "In the bad wars -- which are the only wars we have fought for some time now -- there is the terrible knowledge that the enemy was never really the enemy," he says.

Michael James : Going Off Campus, 1965 by Michael James / The Rag Blog. Mike continues to share experiences and images from his rich history as an activist and adventurer -- that will be published in an upcoming book, "Michael Gaylord James' Pictures from the Long Haul." Here Mike reports on the Free Speech Movement at Berkeley, community organizing in Oakland, and his travels across the country in a 1957 Plymouth station wagon "drive-away."